Apparatus for transferring projectiles from the side to the bore of guns.



No. 668.984. Patented Feb. 25190:. A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

APPARATUS FDR TBANSFERRING PROJEGTILES FROM THE SIDE TO THE BORE 0F GUNS (Application filed Oct. 9, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR T. DAWSON, OF WESTMINSTER, AND JAMES HORNE, OF BARROW- IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VIOKERS SONS 8t MAXIM, LIM- ITED, OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING PROJECTILES FROM THE SIDE TO THE BORE OF GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,984, dated February 26, 1901.

Application filed October 9, 1900. Serial No- 32,539. (No model.)

1'0 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, residing at 28' Victoria street,Westminster, in the county of Middlesex, and

JAMES HORNE, residing at Barrow-in -Furness, county of Lancaster, England, citizens of England, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Transferring Projectiles from the Side to the Bore of a Gun, (for which we have applied for patents in Great Britain, dated May 4, 1899, No. 9,417; in Germany, dated March 14, 1900; in Austria, dated March 16, 1900, and in Spain, dated June 20, 1900, No. 25,690,) of which the following is a r 5 specification.

In many cases, especially when guns are mounted in turrets or barbettes, it is convenient to bring the projectiles up by a hoist from the lower part of the vessel and deliver them on a loading-tray at the side of the gun, this loading-tray after receiving a projectile being then moved so as to bring the projectile in line with the gun-bore and to guide it in past the breech-screw.

Our invention relates to means of mounting and moving the loading-tray so as to receive a projectile at the side of the gun and to transfor it to a position in line with the bore to be then propelled by the rammer.

0 Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view, Fig. 2 is a part end view, and Fig. 3 is a plan, of loading-tray apparatus according to our invention. Fig. 4 is a plan showing a modification.

The loadingtray 11 has a vertical axis mounted in the end of the radial arm 24 of a vertical rock-shaft 28, which'is journaled in a girder 25, forming part of the gun-mounting. The axis is connected by bevel-gear 29 to a 4.0 shaft 35, which extends through the arm 24 and has on it a bevel-wheel 30, gearing with a stationary wheel 31. On this rock-shaft is a worm -Wheel gearing with a worm 27 on a spindle,which has fixed on it a hand-wheel 26.

On turning this hand-wheel the arm 24 is caused to sweep around, the axis 29 traveling in a circular path, and the tray 11 at the same time turning on its own axis, so that it maintains parallelism with the axis of the gun and finally reaches the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The projectile carried by the tray is thus brought in line with the axis of the gun and is partly introduced into the breech, the front part of the tray protecting the breech-screw from damage while the projectile is propelled by the rammer.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the bevel-gears are dispensed with and the loading-tray is carried by two parallel arms 32 and 33 of rock-shafts, which are connected together by an intermediate pinion 34, so as to revolve in the same direction. Thus as the loading-tray is caused to sweep around by turning the wheel 26 and worm 27, the parallelism of the projectile with the axis of the gun is maintained, as with the arrangement previously described.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means we know for carrying the same into practical eifect, we claim Apparatus for transferring a projectile from the side to the bore of a gun, consisting of a loading-tray pivoted on a radial swinging arm, and means interposed between the tray and gun-mount for maintaining the tray parallel to the axis of the gun as the arm is swung around from the side to the rear of the gun, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. T. DAWSON. JAMES HORNE.

Witnesses to the signature of Arthur Trevor Dawson:

0. A. SEARLE, HENRY KING. Witnesses to the signature of James Horne:

W. H. ATKINSON, H. G. JAMES. 

